Batting practice ball and game device



Feb. 16, 1960 P, NEWHA T 2,925,274

BATTING PR ACTICE BALL AND GAME DEVICE Filed July 8. 1958 INVENTOR.Newhflr't Paul. C

} AGENT I i Fig. 2 is asectionalview ofthelballconstructiongtaken 1 jonthe 1ine-2I-2 of F ig. .1. j I I I Fig. :3 is a diagram showingthepractice ball; carried 2,925,274 a '7 y a long cord or line such asa-washline, for playing t 2 a 5 I a batting game, hereinafter termed amonkey? garneil; BATIINGYPRACTICE BA L GAMED V Fig. 4 is adiagram-similar to Fig. 3, but showingthe s Y I practice ball andsuspension as confined to a smallervarea.

' Application July 8,1958, Serial'No..74 7',310* 1 novel battingpractice ball construction which is consti- 10 tuted essentially of twobasic components, a core'member and a wrapping disposed about the coremember. The core membenindicated by the numeral 10, is preferably offlexible and resilient'material such assponge rubber j T .1 p or similarsubstance which may be readily compressed This invention relates tobaseball'constructions adapted and deformed and has the ability orproperty to return to toprovidebatting practice, andqto games intendedtoflbe' its original shape. Thecore member 10 is also preferably playedwith such baseball constructions; r-: 3 51,: I made in thejshap'e ofa-ballor'sphere, although an exact One object of the inventidniis, toprovide a-noveland shape ofthisnature is not essential. i T improvedbaseball construction;adaptedito-be :used for V For the purposes ,o ftheinvention I have found that batting practicepurposes;'whicliiconstruction is' extremely when the core member 10 isconstituted of sponge rubber rugged, resistant to weartandrough-iuseyandflcapablezof having a diameter on the order of 2 inchesthe resultant having a long and exterided', i;useful life. r 1 ssize-and characteristics of the practice ballare generally a ;.Anotherobject of. the inventionis to provide, v'a novel all that would bedesired, for the purpos'eiof using the a andimprovedbaseball'constructionasjabove character practice ball forhitting, bunting and catching practice,

. ized, which is especially useful and advantageous: asian tboth indoorsand outdoors. L

' aid to perfect the techniquesgof hitting, bunting and'catch- By thepresent invention the wrapping which isplaced ing baseballs. i 1 f 1about the core member'10 is constituted of heavy cord or V A further,object of the invention is" to provideian im-l line, preferably onthe.order of /4 inch in diameter, and

r proved-batting practice ball structure in: accordance with I havetoundthat sash cord or'washline cord of such diamthetforegoing, which may, bereadily used not only outeter'serves the purpose admirably. The wrappingabout I side or outdoors, but also indoors, in restricted or limited thecore member 10 is constituted in a novel v m'anuer,in*

accordance with the invention,'preferably by using but'a :spaces. I 1.

A still further object of the inventionisto provide an single long pieceof cord and wrapping or encircling the improved practice ballconstruction for-batting,.bunting core-member with a plurality of groupsof'co'nvolu'tions and catching practice, which is especially adaptable,for or turns in such a manner that aninterlocki'ng of the con- 1 I usewith-a tightly strung horizontal linesuchas a washvolutions is effected,thereby to securely-hold all of the line or the like, 7 r v v gconvolutions in placeabout the core member regardless A stilltfurth'erobject of't he inventionis'to provide an 'of rough-usage and the like. I1 v I a improved practice ball construction which isjcharac'terizedfInforming the wrapping referring to Figs. 1and 2;,I

l by extreme simplicity and compactness, With frelatively 40 initiallyprovide about the.core membrltl afirst seriesoi: -f yv-corhponentsr I 2'1; j -1 l-turns','indicated'by the numeral 12,'the said turns being.

Afeature ofa'theinventionlresides intheprbviswn of disposed sidebysideand wrappedtightly about the core 5 .zan improvedpractice ball'constructionwhich.utilizes rela .5 member to form ineifectan annularwrapping'thereaboub. r i ,:ti v'ely inexpensive materials; andwhichmayibeteconomi- .Upon completion of 1the-first series ofgtur-nsthe'same cally'fabr-icatedjand producedwhile'still'retaining all of 4,c,ord preferably :is' used torp'rovide a second 'series of I a tu'rns,also; disposed s ideby side-but vthis time at right angles to andoverlying the first seriesio f turnsj- The "the above propertiesandadvantages, J p ;.T'-Another-.feature of theFinvention *residesirin*thefprio visio'n' of .a-novel practice ballziconstruction fwher'eing II II p T major portionof the ball .fandflalso asuspension-imeanstheifigures- Upon completion of 'thesecond series oftherefor, including the outside :or wrapper structure, i s 5 1mm I-thenutilize the remaining cordto' form 'a'third constituted offiexible-cord'or line, as for. example cottons series of turns which isnow disposed at-right angles "to I *washl-ine', nylon line and. thelike. v f a; I both the first and secondfs'eries of turns.-"All of thesaid A still furtheffeature'of theinvention resides; in thef'" I series.of turns are constituted of' complete iconvolutions provision of anovel practice balliconstruction formed of the cord or rope, disposedtightly against one another largely of washline ortlre like, whereinthesaiddine in.side-by-side,relation; v

of cord is arranged and organized in a novel manner, I The thirdandfinal series ofturns ismade 'to 'ov'erlie with interrelated'and lockingportions, so as' to provide a the'second series of turns, and is made tounderliefthe stu'rdy and rugged construction? not -likely to'lcomeapart-'.-first"series of'turnsfand in"-accornplishing' this latter'any and onewhich is characterised by greafsimplicityr; s'uitabletool; threadingdevice or' needle maybe utilized,

A still further and' important object of the invention to pull the cordunder the first series of turns'andbe'tween fis to'provide anirnprovedpractice ball construction 'with I {the same and-core member10. Thisconstructio n issuspension means wherein:-thel saidtsuspension'meansj -c le'arlyillustrated.inthe figuresgand "thethird'series iof I is securely attached to the? ball i against separation fwhile fstill niainfaining 7 desirableisiniplicity in thstructure rwitha'minimum ofcomponentsi Other features and advantages: wi

. the-ithree 'series'of turnsall at right anglesto each other secondseries of turns is-designated by the numeral 14 in i turns isindic'atedby-. the:numeral*16." By so arranging l '59Withfthe thirdseriesoverlying the second and underlying I 3 hereinafter'appear; :j IIthe firsg there is anvinterlocking' of the-seriesin'suclia v 'In theaccompanying drawings, "similar-1 characters of manner that the turnswill not'become loose and-will not .f'ife c iafe u'desig'flaferlikb'.c0mp0i1nts through-J. beinadvertently undone from thecore member 10. This I out-"the several views,' iniwhich:-

isbecause the turns initially are especially tightly wrapped r L I .i:Figureglfis asid e'levationa -view ofthe improved, ..-around'the"co're,and because there is a frictionalretein ri bgatting practice ballconstructionrasprovidedby themvenq -tion bf thethird series; otturns bythe first seriesyl tion', including'the'suspension means fortheballalsolaafrictional retention of second series b messy;

tllii'd series. In a like mannerthere "is a friotionalretention of thefirst series by the second series, since a completely interlockingorganization is effected by so winding the turns in the aforesaidmanner.

Upon completion of the three series of turns it'will be I directlyconnected to the said ends will be securely fric- -tionally retained inplace by the overlapping arrangements of the'various turns.

In accordance with the invention I utilize the said ends of the cord orrope to constitute a reliable suspension means for the ball. As seen inFig. l, a long end 18 of the rope, leading from the last turn of thethird series 16 may be secured to a split chain link 20 as by means of asuitable knot 22 in a manner well understood. The remaining short end 24of the rope, coming from the first turn of the first series 12, may thenbe secured to the long end 18 :in any suitable way, as for example bymeans of groups of fine cord lashings or wrappings, or wrappings ofstrong adhesive tape or the like. As shown in the figures, wrappings ofadhesive tape are employed.

The above completes the construction of the ball and 'the suspensionmeans immediately associated therewith.

I have found that with a ball construction as above set forth andcharacterized it 'is possible to subject the :hall .to severe usewithout the cord wrapping becoming undone. Therefore this type of ballconstruction lends itself admirably to use as a practice ball, toperfect hitting and bunting practice and also to perfect catchingtechnique both indoors andout of doors. The ball may be .ZSLISPI1dd fromany suitable support, and the user may swing at the ball While it is atrest or he may make the ball swing back and forth, and strike at theball while it is swinging.

I have found that a ball construction as above set forth, while beingextremely rugged, is somewhat softer than a iregular'baseball andconsequently will not effect as serious an injury if a person should bestruck with it. The-practice ball is essentially :quite light in weightand the cord wrapping with the sponge rubber provides for a certainamount of give or yieldability, which characteristics are ofconsiderable advantage in a practice ball. Moreover, because of thesecure anchorage of the end ropes 18 and 24, the ball cannot part fromthe suspension means and is .accordingly at all times securely anchored.This is an important feature of the invention, since it minimizes the 4like, may be strung between two sturdy supports, .andthe ball may besuspended from the washline by meansof the split chain link 2% A pair ofstops 32 may be located on the washline 30, to restrict the movementofthe ball and suspension means along the line. These stops, forexample, may be advantageously constituted of split rubber stoppers, andsuch stoppers may be taped to the washline for security to prevent theirshifting. Two players may engage in a game with the above organization.One

player may stand under each of the stoppers 32, and the ball may beimpelled along the washline 30 by one player toward the other. When theball reaches the other player he may swing at it. If he effects a solidblow with the bat this will be counted as a point for him. If he shouldmiss the ball it would be counted as a point against him. If theimpelled ball does not approach the player within a fair zone suitablefor batting, he may decline to swing at it, and accordingly it would becounted as a point for him or against the other player. If he shouldswing at such a poorly placed ball, and not strike it, it would becounted at point against him or for the player who has impelled theball. I have termed the above game :a

- monkey game since the ball in traveling between the likelihood ofdamage or injury which might occur if the ball should become loose fromits moorings struck a solid blow.

Even :if the wrapping 16 would for some reason or other become loose,:the ball would still not be released from,

after being the suspension, inasmuch as it is securely anchored at alltimes by the long end 18 which is integral with the entire wrappingabout the sponge rubber core member 10. Such construction constitutes animportant feature of the present invention.

In addition to the above advantages, the practice ball has a certainamount of resilience by which it will rebound with appreciable forcewhen struck a stout blow by a bat. This is of. importance since itprovides a degree of personal satisfaction when the ball is struck asquare blow by the user.

The nature and characteristics of the sash or washcord are such thatthey resist wear and abrasion to a'considerable extent. Usually suchcord or, rope i'simpregnated or permeated with a wear-resistantsubstance, such as wax or the like, to make it weather resistant, andsuch subtice ball as above constructed; For example; as shown in Fig. 3,a horizontal line 30 such as a washline or the midwaist, for bestefficiency.

two contestants may be likened somewhat to the actions of a monkey orsimilar creature.

Another game, which I term a rotation game, is illus 'trated in Fig. 4.This game may be played by one player, and other players may take turnsafter the first player has completed a certain amount of practice. Inthe rotation game the stoppers 32 which are located on the clotheslineare placed close together, thereby restricting the travel of the ballgreatly. The player stands adjacent the ball, and either swings at itwhile the ball is at rest, or else pushes the ball to start it swingingand then strikes at it with the bat as the ball swings back toward him,-or away from him.

It should be noted that in both of the described games the player canpitch to himself, so to speak, by placing the ballin :motion beforeswinging with the bat, and this is an important feature of the games. Inso placing the ball in motion, he may hold it approximately at earheight and then allow it to swing over the plate. Upon the balls andaccordingly by so manipulating the ball the player may secure excellentbatting practice.

Preferably the height of the ball when it is suspended from the clothesline should be such as to locate it at the In connection with the monkeygame above illustrated in Fig. 3', homeplates'rnay be located below thestoppers 3'2 and when a ball which has been impelled crosses the platewithout being struck it may be scored as a run :for

the player who has impelled the ball. Various other rules.

may be readily conceived and put into use.

It will now be understood that by the foregoing I have provided a ruggedand simplified batting practice ball construction which 'is constitutedof relatively few components, which is safe in use, and which willwithstand severe usage without appreciable deterioration.- The practiceball is so constituted that it will be securely held by its mooring,thereby minimizing to the greatest possible extent the likelihood ofastruck ball going out of bounds or doing possible damage or injury.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims,and portions of the improvement may be'used without others.

1. A batting practice ball comprising a corememher; and a wrappingdisposed aboutsaid core member, comprising heavy cord arranged in afirst series of turns z'dis'posed side by side and wrapped tightly aboutthe core membefi -a second series of turns disposed side by side atright angles to and overlying the first series of turns,

:jand garland-series. ottturnsidisnosed d connect the said first andsecond series;

si e yidefa 2 isht.. -series'of;turns; saidi Qttnm oycr y ns the. s st sd s ss n !d. )fi !85 eei firstseries,; tl ereby to interlockingly anda'onefpieee wrapping disposed about sa1d core.me1ni i Prising a pieceof*heavy.=.cord-1.arrangedfina first: series of turns disposed sidebygsideand wrapped rightly 2. A batting practice, ball comprising 'acore mem T her; and a one-piece wrapping disposed about-said core membencomprisingapiece-of' heavy'cord arranged in t V a first series of turnsdisposed side'by' side and wrapped tightly aboutthe core member, asecond series of turns disposed side by side at right angles to andoverlying the first series of turns, and a third series of turnsdisposed side by side ,at right angles to both the first and secondseries of turns, said third series of turns overlyingthe I said secondseries and underlying the'said first series, thereby to interlockinglyconnect the said first and second series. 7

3. A batting practice ball comprising a core member;

and a wrapping disposed about said core member, com? prising heavy cordarranged in a first series'of turns disposed side by side and wrappedtightly about the core member, a second series of turns disposed side byside at right angles to and overlying the first series of turns, and athird series of turns disposed side by side at right angles to both thefirst and second series of turns, said third series of turns overlyingthe said second series and underlying the said first series,'thereby'tointerlockin gly v connect the said first and second series, saidfirst,second, and third series of turns eachhaving on the order of sixcomplete turns and said cord having a diameter on the order of onequarter inch. q

4. A batting practice ball comprising a coremember;

and a wrapping disposed about said'core member, com

underlying the said first series, thereby to interlockinglyconnect thesaid first andisecondseries, said core mem-f and a one piece wrapping,disposed about said core mem ber, comprising a piece of heavy cordarranged in a first series of turns disposed side, by side and wrappedtightly r about the core member, a second series of turns disposed t pnahav ne s erm 9: v a-suspensionfo pract ce balli compri e 1 A b t nabout the core membe a second seriesfoffturnsdisposed side by side atright angles to andoverlying the first series of turns, and a thirdseries of turns disposed side i by. side at right angles'to both thefirst and second seriesof 'turns, said third series of turnsoverlyingthe said second series and underlying the said first series,- thereby tointerlockingly connect the said' first and second series, the first turnof the firstseries and the last turn of the last series being broughtoutas two separate ends of the cordwhich constitutes the said wrapping,saidend portions being fastened together. adjacent the ball and at least oneof saidzend portions having appreciable length whereby it constitutes asuspension means for the ball.

' 8. A-batting practice ball comprisinga coremember; and a wrappingdisposed about said core member, com prising heavy cord arranged in afirst series of turns disposed side by side and wrapped tightly aboutthe core member, a second series of turns disposed side by side at rightangles toand overlying the first series of turns,

and a third series of turns disposed side by side at right angles toboth the first and second series of turns, said third series of turnsoverlying the said second series and underlying the said first series,thereby to interlockingly 'connect thesaidfirst and second series, saidcore member being cpnstitutedof resilient sponge rubber.

9." A batting-practice ball comprising a core member;

side by side at right angles to and overlying the first series of'turns,and a third series, of turns disposed'side by side at right angles toboth the first andsecond series of turns, said third series of turnsoverlying the said second series' g. and; underlying the saidifirstseries, thereby .to interlock-r her having a diameter on the .order of'two "inches and.

I said cord having a diameter on the order of one quarter. :inch.' 7 'fI f; S; 5. A battingpractice ball comprising a ,core member;'*:

and a wrapping disposedabout said core member, comprising heavy cordarrangedin -a f rst series of turns dis member, a second series of turnsdisposed-side by side at right angles to and overlying the first'seriesof turns,; I i 7 ti'ons are fastenedto each other.

. and a third series of turns disposed .side'by side at right angles toboth the first and second series of turns, said third series of turnsoverlying the said second. series and underlying the said first series,thereby to interlockingly connect the said first and second series, thefirst turn or.

the second series being integrally connected .with. the last j and athird series'of turns? disposed side by side at right angles to both thefirst'and second series of turns, said third series of turns. overlyingthe said 'second seriesfand 60.. 6. A batting practice .balleor'nprisingfa'core member; and a wrapping disposed about said'coremember, com-, 1 prising heavy cord arranged in a first series of turnsdisf posed side by side and,wrappedtightlyfabout the core member, asecond series of turns disposed side by side at right angles toand'overlying the first series .of turns,

ingly connect the said firstand second'series, the first turn of thefirst series afid the last; turn of the lastseriesbeing brought out astwoseparate ends of the cord which con 7 stitutes the said wrapping,said end portionsgbeingltas; ":te'ned together adjacent thejball andatleast'one ofgsaid end fportions having appreciable length whereby; itcontitutes a suspension means for the bal1;;and plurality end portions;which are brought out fromt f iallisaid 10. A batting practiceballcomprismg'a core'member;

7 and a wrapping disposed about saidcore member, comprising'heavy cordarranged in a first series of turns disposed side by side and wrappedtightly about-the core member, a second series ofjturns disposed side byside at T right angles toand overlying the first series of turns, and athird series .of turns disposed side. by side at right angles to boththe first and second series of turns, said third series "of turnsoverlying the'said second series and underlying the said first series,thereby to interlockingly connect the said'first and second series; linemeans comprising a length ot line adapted to be strung horizontallyabove the ground;

suspension means attached to the said wrapping;- and a loopseeured tosaid suspension means andjadapted'to encircle the'said line whereby theball and suspension means.

- may be slid'along the line-when the latter is-strungabove I theground.

underlyingthe' said first series, thereby :tointerlockingly";

, connect the said first and seconds'eries,.the'first turn of the firstseries and the lasttumfof the third series being? brought out .as twoend portions'gof the cordwhich con-' stitute's thesaid wrapping, atleast one of saidend per-- to'limit the amount short distance': J t ,12;The invention as definedin claim It), in which there i 111. Theinvention jas definedinlelaim 10, in whieh there .is a pair of stopscarried by hesaid line on opposite side "of the Said l l x l g' p mdclosely together 7 p idin mwement of the loppti ofiseparatefine tapelashings securing togeth' thef'said j

